SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball opens play in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday, March 2 when they take on Illinois State in the quarterfinals. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. (ET) from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and will be televised on the MVC Television Network. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com.
TICKETS & SYCAMORE BASKETBALL PREGAME RALLY
Tickets are still available through the Hulman Center Box Office for this week's tournament games. Fans may stop by in person or call 1-877-ISU-TIX for pricing and options. Once again, the team's headquarter hotel is the Downtown Hilton by the Arch at 400 Olive Street and is also the host of the Sycamore Basketball Pregame Party. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. (Central) on Friday, March 2, fans will be entertained in the hotel lobby and will have the chance to send the team off to Scottrade Center for their quarterfinal matchup against Illinois State. The Sycamore Basketball Pregame Party is sponsored by ISU Credit Union, Sycamore Athletics and the ISU Alumni Association.
QUICK HITS
- Jordan Barnes is averaging 3.7 3-pointers per game to rank fourth in the nation and tops in the MVC. His 112 3-pointers made this season is third best nationally. That mark is also a new school record and is fourth-most in the history of the MVC during a single-season.
- Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 312 contests, which is the third-longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Greg Lansing is just the sixth head coach in the history of the program to record at least 100 victories at the helm of the Sycamores as he owns 133. He needs one more to tie Royce Waltman for second (and his 73 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program).
- Senior Brenton Scott owns 270 trifectas in his career which is second-best in the history of the program. He only trails Michael Menser by 13 for the school record and his 270 is No. 7 on the MVC's all-time list.
A Win Over Illinois State Would ...
• Give Indiana State 82 regular season & Missouri Valley Conference Tournament victories over the last eight seasons -- third most among the current membership of the league.
• Give eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing his 134th career victory -- to tie him with Royce Waltman for No. 2 on the ISU all-time wins list.
• Be the Sycamores' 2nd all-time win as the No. 6 seed at Arch Madness and first since a 65-57 win over No. 3 Illinois State in the 2016 tournament).
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 133-125 (.516) overall in his eighth season as a head coach. He is 73-71 all-time in MVC games, including a 49-23 mark at home and a 24-48 record on the road. During his career, he is 79-35 in all home games, 38-68 on the road, 16-22 in neutral court contests and 45-36 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-14 in overtime games and 85-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing is 10-7 against Illinois State, including a 1-0 mark at Arch Madness. Lansing led the Sycamores to the postseason in each of his first four seasons at the helm (2011 NCAA, 2012 CIT, 2013 & 2014 NIT). Lansing is the second head coach to lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament in their rookie campaign in the history of the program, with the other being Bill Hodges leading ISU to a 33-1 record and a Final Four appearance in the 1979 NCAA Tournament. Lansing was just the 14th rookie head coach in the history of the MVC to lead his team to 20 victories during their debut season. Lansing holds the school record for most victories over a nationally-ranked team (five) in the history of the program. Lansing is currently third on the Indiana State all-time coaching victories list with 133 and needs one more to tie Royce Waltman for second. His 73 MVC victories are a school record.
A Little History
Indiana State is in its 122nd season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,480-1,292 all-time on the hardwood.
Television Particulars
The Illinois State game will appear live nationally on the Missouri Valley Conference Television Network. The game will appear on Fox Sports Indiana Plus (conflict with the Indiana Pacers), NBC Sports Chicago as well as Fox Sports Go (inside the MVC footprint) and ESPN3 (inside Indiana, but not in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri or Nebraska).
FOX Sports Midwest – Live at 8:30 p.m. Central.
FOX Sports Indiana Plus -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central. FOX Sports Indiana Plus clearances include Auburn Essential (Channel 81 or 1081), Cinergy-Metronet (Channel 257-267 or 957-966), Clay County/Endeavor (Channel 27 or 28), Comcast Xfinity-Fort Wayne (Channel 9 or 1681), Comcast Xfinity-Indianapolis/Kokomo/Lafayette/Shelbyville (Channel 81), Daviess-Martin (Channel 31 or 32), LigTel (Channel 420), Mediacom-Auburn (Channel 126), Mulberry Cooperative (Channel 62), New Wave-Greencastle/Vincennes/Knox/Pike (Channel 80 or 1208), NineStar Connect (Channel 128), Perry Spencer (Channel 172), Smithville TelCo (Channel 50 or 650), Spectrum- Evansville/Newburgh (Channel 2, 12.1 or 505), Spectrum-Terre Haute (Channel 13) and WOW-Evansville (Channel 103).
FOX Sports Kansas City -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central.
NBC Sports Chicago -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central.
FOX Sports GO – Live at 8:30 p.m. Central within FOX Sports Midwest footprint in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
ESPN3 – Live at 8:30 p.m. Central inside the state of Indiana and outside the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
DirecTV -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central on channels 665 (NBC Sports Chicago) and 671 (FOX Sports Midwest).
Dish Network -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central on channels 418 (FOX Sports Midwest) and 429 (NBC Sports Chicago).
AT&T U-Verse -- Live at 8:30 p.m. Central on channels 740 and 1740 (NBC Sports Chicago) and 748 and 1748 (FOX Sports Midwest).
Indiana State Guts Out Tough Road Win Over Bradley For No. 6 Seed At Arch Madness
Indiana State overcame a 37.7 percent mark from the field by limiting Bradley to just 41.5 percent shooting and parlayed a 45-29 edge on the glass into a 16-8 advantage in second chance points to earn a thrilling 66-64 win at Carver Arena on February 24. ISU earned the No. 6 seed at the State Farm MVC Tournament with the win coupled with a Missouri State defeat at the hands of Northern Iowa. Brandon Murphy tallied 10 rebounds including one at the buzzer while Qiydar Davis had a put back with under 10 seconds remaining which proved to be the game winner.
Sycamores At Arch Madness
Indiana State enters the 2018 edition of Arch Madness as the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The Sycamores last tournament championship came in 2011 when Indiana State used victories over No. 6 Evansville, No. 2 Wichita State and No. 1 Missouri State to earn their fourth trip in program history to the NCAA Tournament. Indiana State is 26-34 all-time in MVC Tournament play. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 8-6 in the MVC Tournament, including a record of 1-0 against Illinois State (won as No. 6 seed vs. Redbirds in 2016 MVC Tournament Quarterfinals). Indiana State is the No. 6 seed at the MVC Tournament for the sixth time in program history, with the only previous win coming in 2016 against Illinois State.
Jordan Barnes Named Second Team All-Conference & League's Most Improved Player
Indiana State sophomore Jordan Barnes was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team as well as captain of the MVC Most Improved Team to highlight the Sycamores' postseason honors. Barnes owns a 17.3 ppg mark for third in the league with the exact same mark and ranking in league only games. Barnes' 3.7 3-pointers per game leads the MVC -- a number which is fourth-best in all the nation. During conference play, Barnes is hitting 3.5 treys per game which also leads the league. Barnes' 112 3-pointers is third in the country and tops in the Missouri Valley Conference. Those 112 are a new school record and rank as the fourth-most in the history of the program (as well as the most ever by a sophomore in league history). He needs six more trifectas to tie Bradley's Jeremy Crouch for third in Valley history with 118.
Brenton Scott Tabbed All-MVC For Third Time In His Career
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Third Team following a terrific regular season in which he averaged 14.9 points per game to finish within the Top in the MVC for scoring. He was also named to the All-MVC Third Team last season and was a second team pick in 2015-16. Scott was the league's MVC Freshman of the Year in 2014-15 -- becoming just the second Sycamore to ever earn that honor.
Tyreke Key Named To MVC All-Freshman Team
Indiana State's Tyreke Key became the 11th Sycamore to be named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team for his efforts this season. This marks the third in the last four years that a Sycamore has earned this particular honor. Key scored 14 points as he hit a trio of 3-pointers to go with seven rebounds and a pair of steals in 39 minutes of action as part of the four overtime game against Ohio. He scored 11 points off the bench and sparked a key 10-0 run in the second half which led the Sycamores to a 74-64 victory over Air Force. Key tied a career-high with 16 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers with six rebounds at Missouri State and then posted 10 points, including a pair of free throws to seal the win and pulled down a career-best nine rebounds in the road win over Evansville. He poured in 13 points and had a personal 7-0 run as the Sycamores took down Illinois State 84-54 inside Hulman Center. Key led the team with eight rebounds against the Redbirds. He finished the regular season with 11 points and three rebounds in the road victory over Bradley.
Greg Lansing Sets New School Record For MVC Victories
Indiana State, under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, owns 81 conference and MVC Tournament wins – which is the third-most among the current membership during that same span. UNI has the most victories with 89 while Illinois State is in second at 87. The Sycamores' 81 wins are ahead of Missouri State and Evansville's 73. During regular season play, Lansing has 73 MVC victories which is the most in the history of the program. He set the new school record with a 84-54 victory over Illinois State on January 20, 2018 and his 133 overall victories are only one behind Royce Waltman for second on the ISU all-time list.
Brenton Scott Continues To Make A Move Up ISU Scoring Chart
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott is just the third Sycamore to ever record at least 200 career 3-pointers and is only the fourth to score at least 1,700 career points. He owns 270 3-pointers during his career joining school record holder Michael Menser (1997-2001) who owns 283 career trifectas and Jordan Printy (2008-12). Scott is now the school's fourth all-time leading scorer as he owns 1,757 points scored as he joins Larry Bird, John Sherman Williams and Jerry Newsom above the 1,700 point mark.
Greg Lansing All Alone In Third Place For Most Wins At Indiana State
Indiana State's 66-64 victory at Bradley on February 24 was career victory No. 133 for eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. He is now all alone in third place all-time at ISU. He needs one more win to catch Royce Waltman for second at 134 and the school record is held by Duane Klueh who owns 182 career victories.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 58-53 on February 21 against Evansville was ISU's fifth this season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 85-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 19-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State's starting five has outscored the opposition's top five, 12 times this season and earned the win. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 85-26 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Evansville on February 21. Notably, Indiana State's win this year at Bradley is the only time this season that the Sycamores have won when the other team's starting five outscored the Sycamores (1-13).
Sycamores Secure Fifth 30-Point MVC Victory In Program History Against Illinois State
While any win in the Missouri Valley Conference is tough to come by, a win by 20 or more points is even more rare. Indiana State defeated Illinois State by the score of 84-54 on January 20 – an impressive 30-point victory. Since the Sycamores joined the league for the 1977-78 campaign, this was Indiana State's 26th victory by at least 20 points in a conference game. The Sycamores' win by 30 points over Illinois State was its first over 20 points since a February 11, 2017 victory over Drake by 24 points. This game was the fifth time that the Sycamores have won by at least 30 points in a Missouri Valley Conference game against the current league membership. It was the largest margin of victory in a conference contest for the Sycamores since a 72-42 win on Jan. 23, 2008 against Evansville. This was the biggest margin of victory ever against Illinois State and just the second time the Sycamores have beaten the Redbirds by 20 or more points. The school record for largest victory over a MVC school is 36 points and happened in 1981 against Southern Illinois and most recently against Evansville in 2001. All but one of the Sycamores 20 plus point victories have come at home, with Indiana State's 65-44 victory in 1998 at Northern Iowa being the program's only win by at least 20 points against a MVC opponent which came on the road.
17 3-Pointers Most Ever By A Visitor To Indiana's Assembly Hall
Indiana State was solid in many areas at Indiana, beginning with 3-point shooting as they hit 17-of-26 attempts (65.4 percent) from long range. The 17 3-pointers are the most by an opponent against Indiana inside Assembly Hall and fell just one shy of the Sycamore school record of 18 set in 1988 against Arizona State.
Indiana State With A Pair Of Top 10 Career Scorers In Their Respective High School States
A pair of Indiana State freshmen in Tyreke Key and Cooper Neese enter the collegiate portion of their careers having reached the Top 10 in career scoring in both of their respective home states. Key finished his career at Clay County High School in Celina, Tenn., with 3,287 points scored which is 10th most in the history of the state of Tennessee. As a senior, he set the Tennessee High School record for most points scored in a season, breaking a 25-year old record held previously by Kentucky legend Tony Delk. Cooper Neese, who will sit out the 2017-18 season serving his year-in-residence as a transfer, enters his Indiana State career having scored 2,496 career points at nearby Cloverdale High School which is seventh-best in the Indiana High School Basketball history.
Sycamores Tally School Record Fifth Victory Over Nationally-Ranked Team Under Lansing
Indiana State ended a skid of nine losses to nationally-ranked teams when No. 15/16 Butler fell inside Hulman Center on December 7 by the score of 72-71. Coach Lansing has led the Sycamores to a school-record five victories against nationally-ranked teams during his time at the helm of the program. He passed Bill Hodges (head coach of the Dream Team in 1978-79) and Royce Waltman (head coach of the Sycamores during back-to-back NCAA Tourney trips in 2000 & 2001) for the most in program history with the win over Butler. It was just the second victory for the Sycamores under Lansing at home against a nationally-ranked team and the first overall since a win at No. 21 Notre Dame in 2013.
Greg Lansing Selected For Induction Into Iowa High School Basketball Hall Of Fame
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame as part of their 2016 class. Lansing and the other selected inductees were honored individually at halftime of the Iowa Class 4A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on March 12. The IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest honor the Iowa High School Board of Control can bestow on a high school coach or former player. Lansing graduated from Harlan High School in 1986, where he was coached by his father Dave, who was inducted into the IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 as a coach. The Lansing father/son combination of Dave and Greg are just the 10th father/son duo to both be inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1969.
Up Next
The winner of Friday night's game between No. 3 Illinois State and No. 6 Indiana State will advance to the State Farm MVC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, March 3. Tip-off time is set for 6 p.m. (ET) and will be televised live nationally on CBS Sports Network.
